The Time Is Right for a ‘Great Books’ Revival
To build a better world in the age of AI, students need grounding in indispensable ideas.
Books
Introducing The Atlantic’s expanded books coverage: essays, criticism, fiction, poetry, and recommendations from our writers and editors
He Was Hugely Influential. He Also Had a Foolish Streak.
A recent biography of the writer John Berger reminds us about his hefty influence—and how he could be blinkered by his convictions.
Forget Grit
Even the luminaries of the self-help genre have begun to recognize how little in life we can actually control.
How American Girl Doll Lost Its Way
At 40, the brand faces a midlife crisis.
Democrats Are Sounding More Like Republicans
Why politicians are betting on ever more moralizing language
What To Read
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50 Unforgettable Love Stories
Centuries of joyous, tragic, tantalizing, enduring fiction
Six Hard-to-Find Books Worth Reading
These titles are no longer fashionable, if they ever were—but should you manage to read one, you might love it.
What to Read to Wake Up Your Brain
These books can ease readers into a season of work and hard thinking.
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Six Books That Take You to Space
You won’t even have to leave your couch.
Newsletter
The Books Briefing
Our culture editors’ weekly guide to the best in books.
Subject to The Atlantic's Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions
Fiction
See All
The Guardians
A short story
Disunion
A short story
I Heard You Singing
A short story
The Wisdom of Holden Caulfield
Beneath all the alienation, The Catcher in the Rye, which turns 75 this year, has a surprisingly hopeful—and ethical—outlook.
A Novel About a Secret No One Wants to Know
The wildly popular Norwegian novelist Vigdis Hjorth returns to a dark past.
Literature Has a Stay-at-Home-Dad Problem
Unemployable, emasculated, blundering: In novels, full-time fathers seem to always be falling short.
French 75
A poem
How to Put Sex in a Novel
In a new book, intimate fantasies become a crucial vehicle for character development.
The Ruthless Benevolence of a Great Editor
Ann Godoff, who died this week, cared passionately about her writers—and much less about her own ego.
The Reckless Women Who Changed Journalism
Two new books demonstrate how Martha Gellhorn, Janet Flanner, and other reporters took journalism in directions that men could not.
When Did Literature Get Less Dirty?
A puritan strain is manifesting in realist novels as a marked absence of straight sex.
Nine Books to Reset Your View of the World
Each of these titles will widen your perspective, offering you original insight and vision.
Michael Pollan Punctures the AI Bubble
His new book, about the mystery of consciousness, strengthens the case that technology will never truly replicate humans.
